Urban Meyer’s recent move to Ohio State has been the cause of much speculation over the last season in the college football world. Although there has been little question as to whether the high-profile coach will succeed at OSU, many have wondered how soon Meyer will make his mark on the program.
For a team that posted a 3-5 conference record last year and is starting a second season with a second head coach after Jim Tressel, the outlook appears good for Urban and the Buckeyes. Although Ohio State is coming off of a disappointing season, Meyer is inheriting an offense with a similar system to what he ran in Florida, along with a defense that is returning nine starters.
Meyer is not only inheriting a roster built for future success, but he wasted no time hitting the Midwest recruiting trail with an SEC twist. While he landed the highest-rated recruiting class in the Big Ten, his southern recruiting practices rubbed some of his counterparts the wrong way. Failing to honor the “gentlemen’s agreement” amongst Big Ten coaches (which implies a coach will not actively recruit a player already verbally committed to another school) has not made Meyer many friends. However, his practices have landed Ohio State ahead of the recruiting game, yet again.
With Ohio State trying to recover from their Tressel hangover, Meyer is the perfect man for the job. Because he is both a proven winner on the field and actively trying to promote the academic side of Ohio State, folks in Columbus could not be happier moving forward with Meyer.
Although Ohio State is entering a season that basically means nothing due to their post-season ban, Meyer will have them ready to play! They may be coming off of a losing season, but that was under Luke Fickell. No offense to the assistant coach, but a 3-5 team under Fickell is 5-3 under Meyer. Also, Ohio State has a cookie-cutter schedule this season. With only four road games all season, they could very well be 8-2, or better, going into their last two weeks at Wisconsin and then hosting Michigan.
Although their wins will not lead to much for the Buckeyes this season, they have the opportunity to ruin many other teams’ seasons. And Meyer will have his first team at OSU ready to compete in 2012.
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